Many mammals ingest their placenta after birth, and while it's not something that humans commonly do, some new moms are choosing to try something called placenta encapsulation in an effort to be healthy after birth.

She wanted to make sure she did everything she could to be healthy and happy after childbirth, so she decided to have her placenta encapsulated.

"My pregnancy was managed through acupuncture and Chinese medicine, which I think led me to have a very healthy pregnancy, and this seems like a natural progression of having the pregnancy managed in that way," von Herbulis said.

She hired Lauren Agro, a certified placenta encapsulation specialist with a company called Placenta Benefits. Agro said taking the capsules helps to replenish iron, shrink the uterus and lessen the bleeding after childbirth.

"It's also going to help them with their energy. It's going to increase their mood and balance their hormones after childbirth. It's going to help their milk production by increasing the amount of milk that they make," Agro said.

In Maryland, birthing facilities by law must allow a family to take the baby's placenta home. It then goes into a cooler until Agro can get to the family's home, usually within two days of the birth.

The process to encapsulate begins with Agro sanitizing the kitchen with a 10 percent bleach solution. First, Agro said she examines the placenta to make sure it's healthy and suitable for encapsulation. Then she makes sure the blood is drained from the placenta, and she cleans it.

Agro then puts the placenta into a pot with Chinese medicinal herbs and steams it for 20 minutes, reaching 165-170 degrees to kill bacteria and blood-borne pathogens.

When it's done, Agro said she slices it up, puts the placenta pieces into a dehydrator for 12 hours and returns the next day. After checking to make sure it's dry, she grinds it up and puts it into capsules that mothers will begin using that day.

No guidelines to govern process

There are no laws or guidelines governing the process, 11 News I-Team reporter Lisa Robinson said.

Agro said she thinks regulations would be good. She said people should look for someone who has food safety training like herself, in addition to following other safety measures.

"We do follow OSHA practices for blood-borne pathogens, and we also follow EPA regulations about operating in a small laboratory," Agro said.

"What do you have to say to people watching who say this is crazy?" Robinson asked.

"If you think it's crazy, that's OK. You are allowed to think that at first, but I'd like to get the idea out there so people can start doing their research and really start thinking about what they want in the first weeks of postpartum," Agro said.

What do doctors think?

Dr. Stephen Contag, a doctor of maternal and fetal medicine at Sinai Hospital, weighed in on mainstream medicine's thoughts on the matter.

"Is there any evidence this even works?" Robinson asked him.

"Mood disorder, nutritional supplementation, hormonal supplementation, lactation support -- there really is not evidence for any of it," Contag said.

But he said there does appear to be a placebo effect in that the process is empowering for the woman.

"If anything, it gives that feeling that they are in charge of what's happening during the process of delivery and what's happening to the placenta," Contag said.

"I think the results will speak for themselves," von Herbulis said.

The I-Team contacted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which recommended consumers avoid dietary supplements and other food products containing human placenta, saying the risk of bacterial infection is significant.

Robinson spoke with von Herbulis again recently. She said she has no regrets and that her energy is up, her milk came in quickly, she's sleeping well and she's in a great mood.

IT SOUNDS AWFUL BUT SOMETHING JUST ABOUT ALL MAMMALS DO IT. IN JUST THEIR PLACENTA AFTER BIRTH. IT IS NOT SOMETHING WE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO HEARING HUMANS DO. WHY SOME MOMS ARE CHOOSING PLACENTA ENCAPSULATION. WHAT IS COOKING IS NO ORDINARY RECIPE. INSIDE THE POT, HUMAN PLACENTA THAT BELONGS TO NEW MOTHER CARLY. I THINK IT IS A GOOD IDEA. SHE WANTS TO MAKE SURE SHE CAN DO EVERYTHING SHE CAN. SHE DECIDED TO HAVE HER PLACENTA ENCAPSULATED. MINE WAS MANAGED THROUGH ACUPUNCTURE WHICH I BELIEVE LET ME TO A VERY HEALTHY PREGNANCY. THIS SEEMS LIKE A NATURAL PROGRESSION. A COMPANY CALLED PLACENTA BENEFITS, TAKING THE CAPSULES HELPS TO REPLENISH IRON, SHRINK THE UTERUS, AND LESSEN BLEEDING AFTER CHILDBIRTH. IT WILL HELP WITH ENERGY, MOOD, AND BALANCE HORMONES. IT HELPS THEIR MILK PRODUCTION. THE BIRTHING FACILITY MUST ALLOW THE FAMILY TO TAKE THE PLACENTA HOME. IT GOES INTO A COOLER UNTIL IT CAN GET TO THE FAMILY HOME. USUALLY WITHIN TWO DAYS OF THE BIRTH. THE PROCESS BEGINS WITH AGGRO SANITIZING THE KITCHEN WHICH A 10% -- WITH A 10% BLEACH SOLUTION. MAKING SURE IT IS HEALTHY FOR ENCAPSULATION. THE MEDICINAL HERBS, STEAMED WITH 20 MINUTES. REACHING 170 DEGREES TO KILL BACTERIA AND BLOOD-BORNE PATHOGENS. THIS IS MY 113TH PLACENTA IN FIVE YEARS. AND RETURNED THE NEXT DAY. SHE GRINDS IT UP AND PUTS IT IN THE CAPSULES THAT SHE WILL BEGIN USING THAT DAY. THERE ARE NO LAWS OR GUIDELINES COVERING THIS PROCESS. THEY THINK REGULATIONS WOULD BE GOOD. PEOPLE SHOULD LOOK FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD FOOD SAFETY TRAINING LIKE YOURSELF IN ADDITION TO FOLLOWING OTHER SAFETY MEASURES. YOU WILL TAKE CAPSULES AS NEEDED. I WOULD LIKE TO GET THE IDEA OUT THERE. A DR. OF MATERNAL AND FETAL MEDICINE. TRADITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION HORMONES. THERE IS LACTATION SUPPORT. THERE DOES APPEAR TO BE A PLACEBO EFFECT. I THINK THE RESULTS WILL SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. THE RISK OF BACTERIAL INFECTION THEY SAY IS SIGNIFICANT.

Gen. David Petraeus pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday to end a probe into whether he provided classified information to his mistress when he was CIA director, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter.